The rail operator, recently awarded the new nine year East Anglia rail franchise by the Department for Transport, has today confirmed that it has now finalised contracts worth nearly £1.5 billion to replace all the existing trains on the franchise that starts on Sunday 16th October.

This completes the largest ever privately-procured order for trains in the UK. Two new fleets of 1,043 carriages will be introduced to the franchise between Spring 2019 and Autumn 2020, built by Bombardier in Derby (665 carriages) and Stadler in Switzerland (378 carriages). They will replace the existing fleets of trains and will create an increase of approximately 10% in the fleet size compared to today.

“The Stadler trains are designed to provide a significantly enhanced passenger experience that will transform rail travel for people in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex and Cambridgeshire,” Abellio says.

“The trains to be used on the East Anglia franchise will be equipped with climate-controlled air-conditioning; ‘2x2’ seating; Wi-Fi and power points throughout the train; a low floor design, allowing easier access to platform from the train; passenger information systems with real-time information; and regenerative braking.

Commenting on the new contract, Dominic Booth, managing director of Abellio UK, said: “Our ambitious plans for the new franchise are centred on the largest-ever privately-funded train procurement in the UK to give the people of East Anglia high quality trains as part of a transformation of the region’s railway. They will be the centrepiece of many other improvements including more frequent services, faster journeys and more capacity with 55% more seats into London in the morning peak”.

The Bombardier trains will all be built in the UK, securing around 1,600 jobs at the company’s plant in Derby, and will serve mainly suburban routes into London.